Harry tit-den riggs



(No Model.) Y

I-LT. RIGGS. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

NVENTOR. Harry zf/ys ATTORNEY.

Patented July 30, 1889.

PVZ'VESSES,

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,-

nAn-EY frILnEN Ricos, von rnnnrne'ron, MAINE, AssIeNon oEoNE-HALF rroALVIN s. Brees, oF SAME PLACE.

ELEC-rale s wiTci-i.YA

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters' Patent No. 408,194', dated July30, 1889. Application filed February 19, 1889. Serial No. 300,417. (Nomodel.)` i

To all when@ it may concern:l 4 Bc it known that I, HARRY TILDEN Ricos,a citizen of the United States,'residing in Farmington, in the county ofFranklin and State of Maine, haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Switches, of which the following is aspecification. L

My invention relates to electric switches, the object. being to providea switch which 1o may be used in connection with motors for reversingthe current or for opening the circuit. .y 5

A further object is to provide a switch of very. simple and yet of cheap construction.

Theinvention consists in the details ol construction which will now befully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. Referringto the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a vertical centralsection no of my improved switch-` Fig. 2 vrepresents a plan of thesame.; and Fig. 3 is a detail view, insection, of a modification of theswitch.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A represents a base or support,made, preferably,

5 ot hard rubber or other suitable insulating material. rl`here isinserted in the base two blocks of metal ct n., to which areelectricallyY connected the terminals in m of the main circuit. lhoseblocks ol' metal are inserted' 3c in the base, so that their uppersurfaces are tlush with the uppersurt'ace of the base.

ll represents a center rotating post. rlhis is lixefl in the base-pieceA, so that it may be easily rotated in either direction. It is held inits position by a flange t) at its lower end and by the arms carryingthe contacts, as will appear later on. rlhe lower end of this post ishollow, the chamber extending some distance up into the post. rl`here isattached to opposite s ides of the post, by means of rivets or in anyother desired and efficient manper, two spring-arms b 1;. At their outerends these arms have attmhed to them downwardly-prejecting lugs '/f".lllesc lugs are composed of metallic portions and portions of hardrubber or other insulating material located between the metallicportions and the spring-arins Z2. The 'metallic lugs b2 rest upon thesurface ot/the base, and they' are pressed in contact therewith by thespring` arms b. The terminals f-fof the branch circuit are led inthrough the hollow post, and, extending through lateral openings hf inthe post, are attached, respectively, to the Inetallie lugs b2. It willthus be seen that-When the-lugs b2 are in'contact, respectively, with,the blocks a the circuit is completed through the branch. The upper endof the post is provided with a cross-head or other form of device toaid-in turning. 6o

The operation of the switch is obvious. By rotating the post the lugs b2are brought into contactwith theblocks a a to complete the circuit, orare moved outiof contact therewith to break the circuit, or may be givena halfturn and their position reversed, thus reversing the direction ofthe current ,through the branch. This, as will be seen, is accomplishedby a very simple movement.

I'do not confine myself to any particular 7o manner or arrangement ofsprings for maintaining the lugs b2 in contact with the surface of thebase A or blocks o. This maybe done yby making the arms h springs, asdescribed;v or, as shown in Fig. 3, a coil-spring 75 @may be placedaround the hase of the post to bear upon the flange upon the end thereofand upon the base-piece. The tendency of this spring would be to drawthelugs against the base-piece- In this instance, also, the arm 8o ysupporting the lugs b2 may be made of stili metal or of wood.

My object in running branch wires directly to the lugs b2, instead ofconnecting them with the springs b', is yto obviate the diiiicul'ty 85heretofore enconntered'in switches where the operative springs serve asconductors for the current. In such instances the heating eftoets of thecurrent will in time draw the temper ot' the springs. y 9o Havingnowdescribed my invention, I claiml. In an electric switch, a centerrotating post havin g attached thereto by means oi' lateral arms twocontact pieces or lugs, the said post being hollow and the two terminalsof the circuit entering the structure of the switch through thehollowpostand extending through lateral openings in said post to the Contactpieces or lugs mentioned, all in eomzoo bination with a base-picywhichsupports ing, respectively, with the linsulated termi-.

' the said post, and-also two terminals of acirnals. l

cuit corresponding tothe terminals ixecl to In Witness whereof I havehereunto Signed the post, substantially asdescribed. my name in thepresence of two subscribing 5 2. In4 an electric Switch, a rotatinghollow witnesses.

-post having attached thereto two spring-arrns HARRY TILDEN RGGS bearingat their outer ends metallic circuitterminals, the spring-arms beinginsulated `Witnesses: from the terminals, and the circuit-wires lead'-BENJ. GOODWIN, 1o ing in through the hollow, post and connect- A. S.RIGGS.

